Coconut: Our Secret Ingredient

At Grown Under Glass, we know how important greenhouse growing can be for certain crops, such as coconut: our secret ingredient. If you were to walk through our greenhouse, you would see thousands of plants growing out of small rectangles and wrapped in white plastic. It may appear to be unnatural, however, the main component of that perfectly wrapped brick is one that has been making headlines lately for all of its discovered health benefits — Coconut! We call it Coco-Peat, but another name for it is Coco Coir.

When the coconut husk is separated from the kernel, the husks are used to create mattresses and textiles. After, they used to be left with a by-product that was thought to have no purpose. It was often left outside to rot. Recently the benefits of planting in this by-product, later called Coco-Peat, were discovered. Today, in countries where coconut palm trees are in high volume, discovering this has provided employment and income to many people. Our Coco-Peat is from Sri Lanka.

There are several benefits to using this product. Coco-Peat has excellent water retention abilities. As our greenhouses can get very warm during the summer months, our plants need a constant supply of water. It also allows for great airflow, keeping the roots of our plants from living in swampy conditions. The natural vitamins and minerals already found in the husks assist our greenhouse growers in maintaining the plant’s nutrition. Coco-Peat bricks are easy to maintain. With watering, the bricks will last throughout our growing season.

When the season has ended, the natural bricks of Coco-Peat are shredded and composted. We use this compost in our own backyard vegetable garden!

If you would like to learn more about coconut: our secret ingredient, or would like to learn more about growing in greenhouses, contact Grown Under Glass at 604-864-0078 or by filling out a contact form on our website.